The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday, 12 November 2026 warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains deeply concerning, with 400 to 500 new cases reported every week and escalating armed violence threatening to undo six months of hard-won containment progress.

Scale of the Outbreak

Now nearly six months since it was first declared, the current DRC Ebola crisis has become the largest in the country's history and the second-largest ever recorded worldwide. According to the latest situation report from the DRC's health authorities, the country had logged 11,114 confirmed cases, including 5,433 deaths, as of Tuesday, with a case fatality rate of 48.9%.

Marie Roseline Belizaire, WHO's regional emergency director for Africa, told an online press briefing that transmission continues to spread into new areas despite declines in some of the original epicentres. 'The overall picture remains concerning,' she said, noting that children account for more than a quarter of confirmed cases and roughly a third of all deaths.

Violence Crippling the Health Response

Armed conflict has emerged as one of the gravest threats to containment efforts. The WHO has verified 81 attacks on healthcare workers and facilities since the epidemic began in May. The deadliest recent incident occurred on 5 November in Cantine-Aloya, in the Beni territory of North Kivu Province in eastern DRC, where an armed attack killed 66 civilians, including three health workers, and saw three health facilities looted and burned.

The attack directly disrupted Ebola response operations, leaving more than 1,000 contacts lost to follow-up and three confirmed patients unaccounted for — a development that significantly raises the risk of further community spread. Belizaire issued an urgent appeal: 'We need an urgent halt in hostilities and violence. Health workers and humanitarian teams must be able to reach affected communities safely, and patients must be able to seek care without fear.'

Displacement and Mobility Accelerating Spread

Beyond direct attacks, Belizaire warned that displacement, worsening humanitarian conditions, and high population mobility are making affected communities increasingly difficult to reach. Major transport corridors — including the Congo River — are serving as pathways for further transmission as people flee the violence.

'Too many people are still not being reached quickly enough,' she said, warning that continued insecurity risks reversing progress achieved over six months of concerted response.

Response Capacity and Research Progress

The WHO reported significant scale-up in medical infrastructure. Diagnostic capacity has grown from just two laboratories at the outset to more than two dozen, now capable of processing over 600 samples daily. Approximately 2,000 beds are available across 109 transit and treatment centres. Clinical trials are also underway for two vaccine candidates specifically targeting the Bundibugyo Ebola virus responsible for the current outbreak.

However, Belizaire was unambiguous that infrastructure alone is insufficient. 'We have the tools and the expertise, but they cannot stop transmission if people cannot access them or do not trust the response,' she said. Greater community trust and unimpeded access to treatment remain critical missing links.

What Comes Next

'Six months into this outbreak, important progress has been made, but the continuing loss of life and spread to new areas show that much more needs to be done,' Belizaire said. International observers and humanitarian organisations are watching whether a de-escalation of armed hostilities — which the WHO has explicitly called for — can be secured in time to prevent another surge.